


The Letter

by Tomiko



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Dalish, Dalish Customs, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, M/M, me trying to write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-11
Updated: 2015-06-11
Packaged: 2018-04-03 21:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4115842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tomiko/pseuds/Tomiko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inquisitor Lavellan has a lot of things on his mind, but when a letter from his sister arrives at Skyhold it creates even more problems for him to figure out and maybe reveal his past to Dorian. </p><p>My first Dragon Age fan fiction!</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Letter

Maybe Mahanon was foolish. Getting involved with a shem. A Tevinter mage, nonetheless. He was used to playing with fire, but getting this close could leave him with a serious burn. Dorian has changed him for better and for worse. Mahanon could not think of anyone he had been with previously has treated him as well as Dorian has even though he was human. “Maybe this is what love feels like” he says quietly to himself when someone interrupts him.

“Inquisitor, there’s a letter that arrived this morning, it’s sitting on your desk” said one of Leliana’s people always so attentive to everything.

“Thank you, I will take my leave and go read it immediately” and with that Mahanon made the trek to his quarters.

Once Mahanon saw the writing on the front, unmistakably elven, he felt guilty. Guilt that he hasn’t written to his clan often, and that his sister probably is incredibly angry with him for not writing to her specifically.

He closely inspects the letter, which is written by his sister, all in elven (of course she would, trying to keep some secrecy between them).

_Dear Mahanon,_

_Dear brother how are you? I have missed you so, I or anyone else in the clan have heard from you in quite some time. Brother, I miss you incredibly so, even just seeing one letter from you would make my day so much brighter. Anyway this is not the only reason I am writing to you. The Keeper and many in our clan are nervous by some rumors that have reached us through shem clans we have encountered. Some say that you have been… hmm… intimately connected with one mage from Tevinter. I will not say much on the subject, but remember your duty to the clan. It is alright with me if it is only fun but do not enter any serious relationship with the man. You need to come back and marry one of the female members and have children. Remember your friend Valyrill? She has grown since you left into a fine young woman, which the Keeper deems your perfect companion to bond with when you return to the clan._

_Brother, do not forget that you are not a shem, you are a Dalish elf. This human would never consider bonding with you. If you bond with Valyrill your life will be abundant with children and the love from your fellow Dalish. Brother we are a dying race, if you care about us at all consider what I have written to you. Also do not forget to write me back, ma lin._

_Lihra_

Mahanon was, in short, furious. “Mythal’enaste!”

Life had always been hard with the Dalish. Their customs and all that shite had annoyed him to no end. Although he disagreed with some of the ways that the Dalish functioned did not mean that he was not proud of what he was. He always stuck his head out high proudly showing off the vallaslin that was painted on his face.

His sexual tendencies always caused him grief with the clan though. Mahanon then thought about Dorian and maybe tell him about it since Dorian had been through hell and back. 

“Knock, knock, handsome mage at your service!” Of course speak of the devil and he shall appear, thought the depressed elf.

Mahanon stood up and made his way to the balcony nodding to Dorian as he passed. Dorian obviously noticed his discomfort and saw a letter on top of the desk. “Too bad I can’t read elven, life would be much easier” and soon they were both stood on the balcony staring out into the open air.

“Amatus you’re beginning to worry me, not seeing your smiling face laughing at my charming wit makes me feel like a horrible boyfriend.” Dorian sighs behind the elf. Lavellan turns around grabs the letter from the desk and starts reading it out loud to Dorian translating every word.

“And there it is, the reason for my frustration. I never did tell you about what is was like for me being gay and Dalish, did I?” Said Lavellan to a very disgruntled Dorian.

“It only seems fair that I should tell you my experiences since you told me yours, I’ve heard that communication is key for a relationship to last. So maybe I should start from the beginning.” Lavellan leads Dorian and sits them both down on the bed and starts.

“When I was a young child in the clan, the person I looked up to was my sister. She was four years older than I was; my father had died soon after I was born on a hunting trip. Killed by shemlen that encountered them during the hunt, my mother soon after because of illness that had spread throughout the clan killing many of the clans elves.” Lavellan felt a hand grab his and squeeze encouraging him to continue, his heart started pounding, such an odd feeling.

“Anyways during my teenage years I was training to become a hunter like my father. Other kids my age were talking about girls in a way I just could not see them. They were always talking about their chests, and I never got the appeal back then and now.

He could hear Dorian chuckle beside him.

Lavellan continued “I did not know what was wrong with me. I would joke with the other boys in the clan to keep up appearances. It was not until Caven that I realized what ‘illness’ that I had. Caven had always been nice to me and was becoming a hunter as well. On one of our outings we were paired up together. During this hunt we talked and I got close to him enough to tell him about my condition. He revealed to me that he was the same way” Mahanon then looked away, blushing.

Dorian spoke up “So I can guess that a little more than hunting happened in the forest that day?”

Mahanon replied “Hey! We were both 16 it was bound to happen at some point, anyways we continued that little fling until we were both 18. We officially became adults and obtained our vallaslin. Everyone at that age begins to look for someone to ‘bond’ with, which is the Dalish equivalent to marriage. Which included Caven’s parents. At our usual meeting place he told me that he would be getting married the next day, and I being the awful person that I am, fucked him one last time, then attended his wedding the next day cheerful and congratulating. No one ever expected anything about my tendency because I hid it so well". 

Mahanon peeked over to Dorian who squeezed his hand again giving him reassurance.

“I started trying to become ‘normal’, get interested in girls and let me tell you, that was a sight to see” Mahanon chuckled.

Mahanon sat and thought for a minute then continued “My sister started setting me up with all of the single 18 year olds in our clan and none of them interested me, I started feeling awful about myself and guilty. In the Dalish culture having children is important, since our race is slowly dying out. Having children is the primary reason for bonding and of course men cannot reproduce, sadly.”

Mahanon looked over and chuckled. “I actually tried to have sex with a woman before, but it was incredibly awkward when I accidently shouted Caven’s name in the middle, she left in a huff and I felt twice as awful as before. Everyone was getting married in the clan and soon enough my friends were starting to have children and were all asking about me, ‘When will you have kids Mahanon? You can’t be single forever!’ and such. It was harder for me to find excuses and soon enough I was 24 and still alone, which is unheard of in the Dalish culture. So when the Keeper approached me about spying the humans at the conclave, I jumped at the opportunity to leave and well here we are now.”

The mage sitting next to him put his arm around him in comfort, “Amatus, you mean the world to me, you comforted me when I had my breakdown with my father. You have sacrificed much for me; let me return the favor.”

Mahanon then thought that life will never be as fulfilling if Dorian is not in it, laying in his bed with Dorian’s arms wrapped around him shielding him from any harm. He will write to Lihra tomorrow and set her straight about Dorian and telling her that he has no intention of ever letting him go.

**Author's Note:**

> Translations:
> 
> Ma lin - my blood 
> 
> Amatus - my heart
> 
> Mythal’enaste - Elven curse


End file.
